The Star that Turned to Dust
by RapunzelInTheSnow
Summary: Prequel to the winged girl. Lowri was Bran's mother, Pitch's star in the darkness that surrounded him. OC X Pitch, please review.
1. Chapter 1

**Welsh:**

**1 = Where are you?**

**2 = Surprising.**

**3 = I love you, dearest.**

Lowri smiled as she walked along the streets, thinking of the time when she would return home. Her love, Pitch, would be waiting for her.

It had been ages, it seemed, since she had seen him. The thin face of the man she loved was something she missed above all else, during the working day.

This girl who had fallen in love with the Nightmare King had something to tell him, too. She mused on this.

"How will he not have nightmares?" Her feet had brought her to the bed in the middle of the forest, and she smiled, tracing along the jagged, splintered wooden planks, before climbing down carefully.

"Pitch? Ble wyt ti?¹" Her voice echoed along the corridors. She felt her face glow with happiness.

Pitch heard the familiar notes of her voice and smiled. Lowri. He stood up from his chair and headed for the maze of corridors.

"Lowri, is that you?" He felt happier, already. He knew it was her.

Lowri smiled and went along with the game. "Maybe, or maybe it's just a random person!" she joked, a sunny smile spreading across her face.

"Well, I'll just have to find them," called Pitch, and he smiled again. Lowri was home. Everything was right in this world.

He appeared behind Lowri and she hugged him.

"How was your day?" Pitch asked. He brushed a piece of hair away from her face.

"Syndod². You will never ever guess, darling."

She stood on her tiptoes and reached up, bringing her lips to Pitch's ear.

"I'm… pregnant. We're going to have a child."

Pitch felt like an exploding star. His heart rate went up and he whirled her around. His Lowri. His star in the ink black darkness. Lowri giggled, clinging to him and dropping a kiss on his head.

"Lowri, I love you. Do you know that?"

Lowri smiled at him. "I love you too, dearest."

Pitch put her down before offering his arm. "Let us go have a celebratory dinner."

Lowri slipped her arm through his, laughing and her eyes sparkling.

…**Time Skip! Two days!...**

"No way! You're pregnant? Oh my god, I'm so happy for you!" Melvin shrieked, hugging Lowri.

"Yeah, I've applied for maternity leave. You might have to say goodbye for a while!" Lowri grinned at her friend and he burst into tears.

The brunette gasped and hugged her friend. "Oh, sweetie, I didn't mean it like that!"

"It's not that… I'm just happy!" He hugged her and then stood back.

"Now, don't let me catch your cravings, okay?"

Lowri burst out laughing. "Hey, Melv, that's not how it works..."

She caught sight of Pitch outside and a huge grin broke out on her face. Pitch blew her a kiss before moving on. She felt a blush spread and Melvin looked sideways.

"So is your gorgeous boyfriend that you keep talking about all the time the father?"

She rolled her eyes. "Duh. My boyfriend's the most gorgeous thing in existence, Melv."

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, I was only asking, Lo. It's not like no one in the history of the world has cheated on their significant other."

Lowri rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I love him, Melv."

Melvin cooed. "Ah, so cute!"

Lowri downed her water and Melvin frowned. "Don't you usually have coffee?"

"It tastes weird now. My taste buds have gone really weird and horrible." She made a face and sighed.

Melvin laughed at his friend's downfall, and received a glare. He gulped.

… **Time Skip of Awesome…**

Pitch looked up as he saw Lowri approaching and grinned, slipping into the trees. He saw her walk over and then she looked around, puzzled.

"Pitch?"

Lowri frowned. She was sure she had seen the fleeting shadows that followed Pitch around. Maybe – the thought made her giggle – her dearest idiot was playing hide and seek with her.

She crept up to the nearest tree and looked for him, looking up in case he was in the branches. Someone caught her hand, a very familiar someone, but when she looked no one was there. She stood still and saw black hair.

"Aha!" She caught Pitch around his middle and he laughed out loud.

"Okay, you caught me." He leaned towards her, lips brushing hers as he smiled like that. Her heart skipped a beat and she laughed softly.

"Rwyf wrth fy modd i chi, annwyl.³" She reached a hand up and tapped his nose. He picked her up before carrying her to the lair. Lowri was the one who lit up his life.

**So this is a starting chapter. It will end tragically. I'm sorry if anyone cries. Please review, favourite or follow! **


	2. Chapter 2

**REVIEW PLEASE! GOOD FOR WRITERS REVIEWS ARE!**

Pitch heard sobbing and bolted upright. It was coming from the bathroom.

"Lowri?" He called out her name and the crying continued.

"Pitch, I feel sick…" Lowri continued to cry. Pitch panicked, running through and seeing Lowri in a little heap of misery. He rushed towards her, gathering his beautiful star in his arms.

"Is it morning sickness?" he asked, timid in case it wasn't.

She nodded. "But I can't throw up! I just feel sick, and I think I need to eat something." Her stomach gave a little growl of agreement. "Looks like Junior agrees with me." She gave a shaky laugh and massaged her stomach. Pitch picked her up.

"Then let's get you something to eat. What do you want?" He smiled down at her, and Lowri thought hard.

"Pastries. Definitely cinnamon pastries." Her stomach growled again and Pitch nodded.

…

"It is unclear what happened to the supermarket wall, but the only thing missing is a few pastries. Authorities are bewildered, their only lead being a child who says that he saw black horses attacking the wall and breaking it down. Other people claim not to have seen anything out of –"

Lowri switched off the TV and laughed until tears poured down her cheeks. She was halfway through a pastry. Pitch hugged her from behind, a silent apology of sorts.

"Don't apologise! You said you only intended to take a few, the Nightmares attacking the wall wasn't your fault!" She brushed crumbs away from her mouth before kissing his cheek. He finally relaxed.

"I was panicking… I couldn't control them because of that. What if I lose control of them when Junior comes?"

So that's what had been bugging him.

She smiled. "I think Junior will be a chip of the old block. Determined, beautiful, and strong, just like Dad is."

He hugged her tightly. "I did tell you how much I love you, right?" Running his fingers through her hair he sighed, kissing the top of her head and breathing in the scent of rain that clung to her. She smiled, but squirmed away to reach out for another pastry.

"These are really delicious."

Pitch blushed a deep grey. "I am glad, my dear."

"Such a gentleman…" Lowri teased him, and raised an eyebrow at a passing Nightmare.

…

Melvin hugged Lowri. "I've discovered something amazing!"

He held up a little frog babygro. Lowri rolled her eyes. "Let me guess… is it baby clothes?"

Melvin grinned. "Yes! They are so, so cute!"

He produced more miniature clothing, and Lowri gave him a grin. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you? I have to say I'm impressed."

"Oh, but just look at them! Hey, did you hear about the pastry robbery?" His wide brown eyes met hers and she nodded, praying that she would be able to keep a straight face.

"I was totally shocked!" Melvin smiled at her. "Who would steal pastries?"

Lowri looked off to the left. "Who knows?" She wasn't exactly lying…

Melvin rustled in a bag. "Oh, and I bought you a few books. I think that they were surprised to see me on my own… you usually drag me in there." He handed them over.

"Great! They didn't mind that I wasn't there?" Lowri asked anxiously. "Because this morning I felt awful."

"As long as someone buys the books I think that they're okay."

Melvin took a long gulp of coffee and Lowri growled. "Damn. I really need that." Unhappily she glared down at her own cup of lemonade, and Melvin smirked a little.

"Poor Lowri."

"Yeah, poor Lowri. Honestly." She looked at the baby clothes. "Thanks for all this, Melv."

"You're welcome!" He looked at her seriously. "I hope your boyfriend is okay with the baby?"

"He's ecstatic!" Lowri's eyes danced with happiness. "I'm so happy that he wants this."

"Has he thought up any names yet?"

Lowri fell silent, and picked up her bags. "I have to jet. See you later, Melvin!"

….

"Pitch!"

A shadow detached itself dramatically from the trees, but Lowri hurried towards him.

"Have you thought of names?"

He was flummoxed. "What?"

"Have you thought of any names for our kid?" Lowri repeated, impatiently tapping her foot. Pitch shook his head.

"I rather like Drake."

Lowri's face set like stone. "You are not naming our child dragon."

Pitch grumbled and saw Lowri's glare, directed at her feet. "Drake is a perfectly good name, Lowri."

"Not for our little raven."

They looked at each other. "Raven?"

"Bran then. After my uncle. He was a bit of a laugh, my uncle." A pleased face rose to meet his. "If it's a girl we'll call her Raven."

Pitch hugged her. "You're a star." She puzzled over that for a minute, but returned the hug.


	3. Chapter 3

As Melvin started to panic, Lowri laughed through her pain. Honestly, wasn't she the one in more than a bit of trouble here?

She watched in amusement as he dashed from here to there in a flap, before getting her mobile.

"Can I have an ambulance, please? I've gone into labour and my friend is in hysterics because of it. He might hurt himself if you don't come quickly – oh, me? Well, I guess I would like a lift to the hospital…"

…

Pitch was worried. Lowri hadn't come back from the visit, and he knew she always came back on time. He decided to go and look for her (she was, after all, due to give birth in two days' time), so he saddled a Nightmare and rode off. He headed towards the disturbance he found in town, praying that Lowri was alright.

He saw the lights of the ambulance and raced towards it, Lowri smiling as she saw him through the windows. He was, she reflected, the best thing she could have seen at that moment.

He breathed out, his heart rate slowing from its frantic pace and it suddenly stepped up again as he realised what must be happening. He pressed a hand up against the window, and she smiled, trying not to laugh at the way the Nightmare King of all people was panicking.

"Meet me at the hospital" she mouthed, winking, before the ambulance took off with Lowri still inside. She suddenly winced, trying not to scream and panic both men more than necessary. Make no mistake, she was in pain more than she had ever been, and a horse had at one time broken all the bones in her foot. They had healed, and it was strangely soothing to think of every single pain she could remember and contrast it with this pain.

…

Pitch appeared outside Lowri's room, hearing Welsh cursing from inside. He was pretty sure that most of them were directed towards him and he let a little sand spill under the door. Louder cursing followed this, and he decided it might be best for him if he stayed out here. A child wandered down the hall as he waited and shrieked at the sight of him.

"Hush! My star is in there and she needs no interruptions from small children!" he hissed, making a zip motion across his lips. The child nodded and shook. Hearing the Welsh woman swear, he tipped his head to one side.

"Why is she angry?" he asked Pitch, and Pitch frankly wondered whether or not to tell him the facts of life or not. He came to the conclusion that Lowri might not be too appreciative of that and picked an easy answer.

"Because thanks to me, she's in a lot of pain." He resumed staring worriedly at the door.

"What did you do?" asked the annoyingly curious child. Pitch seriously doubted whether his parents were worried about losing him at this point, but tried to think of a reasonable answer.

"You're a little too young to know that." There. Question answered. He didn't even care about the Guardians at this point, concentrating only on hoping that Lowri would be okay. His child was a spirit of sorts; obviously making it a dark spirit, which meant it would not show up on whatever watch list things the Guardians held for kids.

He felt a small sense of pride that Lowri seemed to be doing okay, and the child tugged on his sleeve.

"Is she having a baby?" The child seemed absolutely too curious for his own good, and Pitch nodded, gritting his teeth. The child smiled, a lopsided sort of smile, and Pitch didn't know why until the boy continued.

"I'll stay with you then! You must be scared!" Oh joy.

…

The nurse smiled. "It's a beautiful little boy! You must be so proud, dear; you held up better than most prospective mothers."

Lowri looked frantically around, hair plastered to her forehead. "Where's my baby? Where's my boy?"

Another nurse handed the baby to her, and Lowri's heart melted. He was gorgeous, a little perfect nose, and fluffy black hair like duckling down, eyes tight shut and palest skin. His features were very like that of Pitch, and she rocked him gently, smiling so widely her cheeks began to hurt. The nurse reached out for him.

"We'll clean you up and then you can go home. Your friend's been sent home, but can you manage by yourself?"

She nodded, and then cast another glance at her baby. Her little raven, her baby boy, her Bran. Her heart swelled with pride and love, and he yawned, little baby bird mouth open for a second.

She couldn't wait for him to meet his father.

…

_One week later_

Lowri smiled as Pitch readied the camera, and held Bran tightly. He was asleep, ruffled duckling hair dark against the yellow blanket she'd wrapped him in.

"Smile, my beautiful star…" whispered Pitch, careful not to wake his son. His son had cheeks that promised a smile as gentle and lovely as his mother's, but at the moment his face was peaceful and Pitch didn't want to wake him from his slumber. He could have sworn that he'd seen golden sand fluttering around the baby's head, but decided to let it pass, pressing the button on the camera and receiving a photograph in return. He shook the picture to dry the ink and Lowri walked over, interested to see how it looked.

"Dear me! I look like my mother!" she remarked, laughing softly so as not to wake Bran. The baby stirred in his sleep anyway, clenching and unclenching his hands. Pitch frowned at the picture, trying to see the resemblance before snorting.

"Frankly, I can't see the resemblance." Lowri huffed, and shifted her weight slightly.

"It's the nose. The nose is slightly lifted. Speaking of which, how am I going to explain to her she's a grandmother?" Humour sparkled in her eyes, and Pitch laughed, waking his son. Bran started to cry and Lowri sighed, before attending to her son. "Oh, darling! Dear, f'annwylyd, fy gigfran bach, bach!" She cooed at him and he fell back asleep, and she raised an eyebrow at Pitch, who was still a little dazed from the Welsh.

"Don't you dare, Lowri, you made me laugh!" he pointed out, and she smiled at him, before sitting down on a chair with Bran. She looked at him. "Somehow I don't think you're going to meet your grandmother anytime soon." She tapped his nose lightly and turned to Pitch. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked, and Pitch frowned.

"It's that little brat again. The Lunanoff girl." Lowri stood up suddenly. "What Lunanoff girl? Is that the Man in the Moon's daughter?" she asked him, eyes wide. He had ranted about it for a while now when he was stressed, so she had a little understanding on the subject.

Pitch nodded, putting his hands over his eyes. "He's letting her be babysat by a Black Eyed Being. It's sealed and the sealed version seems safe, but I am slightly worried. And that girl has too much magic for her own good… She flies off sometimes. I know this is going to end in tears."

Lowri heaved a sigh of relief. "Bach, don't worry. She's capable of taking care of herself, just like Bran will be." With these words she passed Pitch the baby, and he uncertainly held him, gladdened to see that the baby didn't pass through him, which would probably have destroyed him. That possibility was what made him act so cautiously around his son.

Bran's eyes opened suddenly, to reveal their deep amber yellow colour. He gasped and Lowri looked over to see the moment that she would treasure and remember. Two pairs of yellow eyes looking at each other, one pair slightly unfocused, and Bran smiling properly, a gummy smile that Pitch seemed shocked by.

"He…opened his eyes…" Pitch murmured. Lowri laid a hand on his arm and raised an eyebrow, trying not to laugh at him.

"He did. And he smiled too. Well, that's it; I'm not worth smiling for…" She grinned at him and Pitch slowly smiled in the way Lowri secretly adored. Bran closed his eyes again and Pitch looked down at his son, feeling more than a little emotional.

His son had yellow eyes, just like him. His son had smiled for him.

**So I hope that you liked this chapter, which was kind of hard to write. I know I haven't really updated this recently. If you like this story please read my other stories!**

**Reviews would be gorgeous, and when I reach my tenth review I'll do a bonus chapter about Lowri first meeting Pitch… not as a kid, though. As an adult. **


	4. Chapter 4

The tiny calling sound awoke Pitch, and he looked beside him first to see that Lowri was completely asleep. She must have been dealing with this for a while now, he reckoned, so he slipped out of bed and padded next door, where Bran's yellow amber eyes awaited him, teary and uncertain. He had probably woken up because of his teething, and found no one there to comfort him.

"It's alright." He picked up the small boy, who settled into his chest with a happy sigh and snuggled there rather adorably. While he did wish to have revenge against the Guardians, he wanted to protect his child, to be the Guardian of this one baby boy. Bran was now one and a half, and somewhat perambulatory. This meant he was at his most vulnerable at this moment in time, and it would not be a good thing if any of the other dark spirits exploited this to try and topple the Nightmare King's empire.

He thought to himself, trying not to worry, and decided he would visit a friend of his, and see whether or not she could spare a few spirits to help him with his son, as Lowri did have a job again now and it was easy to get lost among the many winding corridors. Bran yawned, falling asleep, and Pitch laid him back into his cot.

…

Lowri blinked as she heard Pitch's plan. "It would be quite useful for you to have help with Bran. Because you're many things, Pitch, but you're not a woman. If you want me to look after little one here, then just ask." She carried on tidying up what remained of breakfast, and then leaning down to wipe a smear of porridge from Bran's cheeks. His little eyebrows frowned but she grinned at him before turning back to Pitch. "So do you need me to look after him today? It's the weekend, so I can do that."

Pitch smiled. "Please look after Bran while I'm out, dearest." He saw Lowri smile back and kissed her forehead, and leant down to hug Bran who was now playing with a little toy horse. His son hugged him and then looked around for Lowri.

"Mam?" Bran looked up at Lowri and reached out two little chubby arms, smiling with the few teeth he had. Lowri's expression softened, and she plaintively looked at Pitch who picked up Bran and held him for a minute or so before passing him to his mother, who he hugged, and Pitch smiled gently at the picture this presented.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, dearest. I don't want to leave you for long." He disappeared in a cloud of shadows and Lowri looked down at her son, shaking her head.

"What do you think Papa is thinking?" she asked him. Bran stared at her and she laughed, sitting down with him on the floor and carefully running her slender fingers through his baby duck's hair. "I don't know either, bach." She kissed his cheek, making him giggle and squirm in her arms. He snatched up his toy and waved it about.

"Hoss!" He reached up and she took it from him, and laughed.

"Thank you, dear one." She passed it slowly between her hands. She couldn't help but worry about Pitch sometimes, but maybe she'd just have to trust him on this one.

…

Pitch arrived at the castle of Lady Mibetsu, making a face at the frankly antagonistic griffin flying overhead before striding over to the thick oak doors. The castle was made of green stone, and Pitch thought it overly colourful, rather like that awful Hallow girl's giant pumpkin house with its grinning face. He shuddered at the thought and knocked, and a butler opened the doors. His eyebrow raised a fraction as he surveyed the guest.

"Lord Black? A great surprise." The butler motioned a servant over. "Tell Lady Mibetsu that it is the Nightmare King." Pride flared a little in Pitch's chest at that, and he chuckled slightly as the servant ran off, as he could feel the fear that the servant felt at the sight of him.

He followed the butler through a blue corridor to an ornately carved small door, patterned with white clouds and thorns, which had been painted in gold. Some were even gold replicas that seemed to grow out of the door in a very sharp manner. It was always a double edged sword coming to visit this woman; you marvelled at some parts of the castle and winced at others. He went through, looking about him at the black and white room when he heard a slight laugh from within, and was immediately surrounded by smoke. It was thick and white, but he sneered, maintaining his mask of indifference.

"Leave that trick for your other guests, Mibetsu. I don't have time for that today." It started to clear, while the laughter trailed off, and he narrowed his eyes upon the delicate silver chair in the middle of the room where the lady of the castle sat. Mibetsu, Guardian of the River Lethe, watched him with amused black eyes, which were surrounded by a veritable cloud of short white hair with a single beaded braid that trailed over her mist grey gown.

"How droll. You don't wish to play chess, I take it?" Her mocking gaze settled upon him and he shook his head.

"I would desire some servants that are humanoid, if you would make a gift to me…" His gaze settled upon a curtain at the back, and Mibetsu turned around.

"Oh, that?" She smiled. "Ishka, come here." A child of three ran to Mibetsu, clutching her skirts and hiding from the man before her. Mibetsu placed her hands upon the girl's shoulders.

"This is my daughter, Ishka. I take it that you also have a child? I was told by one of the servants that he had seen you and your son in the woods. I took the memory from him to spare you any trouble but if the servants are for the child then you are welcome as long as you bring your son to visit Ishka sometimes. She doesn't have a companion of her own age aside from that little harpy of the Morrigan's."

Pitch nodded his thanks before looking down at the child. "And it is very nice to meet you."

She had lovely thick white hair, with a child's dress covered in butterflies. She bowed with as much grace as she could seem to muster, pleasantly surprising Pitch with her manners.

"It's nice to meet you; I'm Ishka-na-Lethe." Pitch stretched a hand down to her level and smiled at her.

"Enchanted. Bran would be happy to meet you, I should think." This child would be perfect for Bran as a friend. A grin met his words and Mibetsu inclined her head, eyes twinkling.

…

Lowri looked up as shadows swirled in the corner, heralding Pitch's return. Three women stepped out before Pitch did, searching their new surroundings with considerable interest. She picked up Bran, who looked a little uncomfortable with the new people who had suddenly appeared in his home and walked towards the women, patting Bran's back to soothe him. Eventually he calmed down in time to look at the women, while Pitch stood there smiling in triumph.

"Dear… bach… who are they? Because Bran isn't sure about them…" Lowri explained to him, and Pitch took Bran from her.

"This is Midori, Elena, and Natalya. They're here to help me take care of you."

"Papa?" Bran's lip trembled and he looked around at the women.

The first had curling blond hair and long white robes. She had a fierce look in her brown eyes, but smiled kindly, somewhat reassuring Bran. A rose pinned her hair up at the back, but she didn't look very flowery at all.

The second had a pale blue dress and dull blue eyes, while pebbles which had been drilled into were threaded through her straight seaweed green hair. She looked like she might have walked straight out from the sea, and she waved shyly at the young boy who smiled a little and waved in return.

The third had flashing black eyes and pink wavy hair that fell around her shoulders. A dark shawl was flung around her shoulders and her eyes darted this way and then that as if seeking something, while her dress was quite like the one Alice in Wonderland wore, although in all probability Alice didn't have a brown dress, with a map etched in black on the pinafore. Bran stared at the pinafore, wondering what the drawing was, and Natalya's eyes paused their searching and landed upon him. She extended her arms, and Pitch handed his son to her.

"Hello, little one. My name is Natalya. What's yours?"

"Bran!" he squeaked, before reaching out a hand for her hair, which was a fascinating colour to him. She let him tug her hair gently for a few minutes. Sitting down, she began to hum, until Bran let go of her hair and looked at the other two women who sat down next to Natalya.

"Natla." He said it rather proudly, as though he had been thinking about it and finally managed to pronounce it, in the way he'd managed. She laughed lightly and nodded. "If you wish, then that is what you may call me, little one." Another laugh joined hers and Bran looked at Elena, who gave a dreamy sort of smile. He eyed up the stones attached to her hair and reached for them. She moved back, startled, which made the stones give off a clattering sound as they brushed against each other. Bran's eyes grew wide and he wriggled off of Natalya's lap to toddle over to Elena.

"Do again!" he said, and she shook her hair so the stones made the clattering sound. He laughed and she hesitantly wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her trustingly back. Pitch watched the scene and smiled rather softly.

"They appear to be getting on well," observed Lowri, and watched as her son ran his fingers over Elena's hair as though the locks were strings on a harp, smiling and giggling when the clattering noise was made yet again. Pitch nodded, and wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm Elena, little raven." His little baby face twisted up as he tried to figure out what to call her, and she laughed.

"It means light, if you have trouble saying it." She ruffled his hair and he grinned up at her.

"Li'?" he asked her and she nodded. Midori's arms suddenly swooped down and captured him, putting the little boy on her lap.

"And I'm Midori. You can call me Dori if you want to…" She caught his hands as they tried to reach the rose in her hair. "No, precious, that's got thorns in it. Ouchy nasty thorns." She began to tickle his ribs so that he chuckled.

Pitch nodded, quite satisfied that his son was safe with these three women.

**Okay, so let me know what you think of this chapter. I know it's kind of fluffy for what should rightly be a tragic story but it will only be tragic at the end. I really want to know what people think of this story, and if you want to see more of a particular character just ask me and I'll do my best. **

**Hasta La Pastaaaa!**


	5. Chapter 5

Natalya raced after Bran with inhuman speed. Sadly, it didn't make a difference, seeing as he was a toddler. He giggled, and continued to run. Elena kept pace beside them, and they looked at each other.

"How is he so fast?" growled Natalya, as Bran laughed. His laughter was joined by that of Midori as she suddenly scooped him up in a hug, tickling his feet until he screamed hysterically, at which point she stopped, grinning. Elena raised an eyebrow and Natalya growled.

"Midori, if you are fast enough to catch him, could you not have caught him an hour ago when he began to run around?" she asked angrily. Midori stuck her tongue out and carried Bran towards a nearby door, which opened into a library. Elena followed behind them, keeping silent even though privately she agreed with Natalya, who looked furious with cheeks that matched her hair, which was in a mess after chasing the little boy. Her pinafore was rumpled and Midori, pristine from her laziness, laughed a little at the other's appearance. Elena smoothed her own skirts and took Bran from Midori as the two began to have a spat of sorts.

"What book would you like to read?" she asked him, letting him down to toddle over to the bookshelf as she shut the door. Thankfully, it was made of a very thick wood, so they would not be interrupted by the argument. Bran presented her with an upside down book and she thanked him, laughing slightly, before sitting down and turning it the right way around.

"Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Zachy. He was best friends with a man named Tom." The book showed a picture of the boy waving to a man with a big grin. She smiled as Bran climbed up to sit on her lap, looking at the picture before she turned the page.

"Every Sunday they went to church in their suits, and they would sing hymns together." Two pictures this time; one of them walking to church and another of them singing. Bran studied the picture earnestly, and Elena smiled again.

"One day, there was a woman in the church, who nobody had ever seen before. Afterwards she came every Sunday, and she and Tom looked at each other." The picture was of a beautiful woman, and the painted blue eyes were indeed fixed on the painted brown ones.

"After the service one Sunday, Zachy rushed out of church to find Tom, and saw him running to the deep stream of Zennor with the woman." The woman's hands grasped Tom's tightly and Zachy watched in the picture. Elena smiled softly, knowing what was to come next.

"They jumped into the stream and the woman's dress fell away. A fish tail was there instead of her legs. She was a merrymaid!" The fish tail glittered in the picture and Elena looked down to see Bran's eyes closed. Asleep at last. She'd carry on the story when he woke up.

…

Pitch cradled Lowri in his arms as she tried to continue making whatever it was. She tried to wriggle away.

"Dear, I'm trying to cook something…" He pulled her closer and started resting his chin on her head. This was apparently one annoyance too far.

"Pitch, I am trying to cook samosas, which should only be a few minutes. Your chin is also incredibly pointy. Sit down while I cook or I swear that I will beat you to a comatose state with a plate." He hurriedly let her go, watching as she rushed around the kitchen fuming.

"Pitch, you can eat potato salad, can't you?" she asked over her shoulder as she splodged some onto each of the six plates. He chuckled.

"Our child is in the other room and you have to ask me whether or not I like potatoes?" he replied. Lowri visibly flushed and she turned around.

"I just don't know, but pardon me for breathing if I don't know whether you eat spuds or not. I wasn't sure. What with the whole Dracula and garlic thing."

Pitch grinned, and glanced at her fondly. "Rest assured I do not turn to dust if I eat a potato." He was sorely tempted to return to the kitchen but he suspected that this might not be such a smart idea, so decided to stay put.

A thought occurred to him and he frowned. "What are samosas?" he asked, while Lowri burst out laughing, leaning against the table the plates had been placed upon.

"You really ought to know!" she managed, finally, before skipping over childishly to kiss his cheek. "Just wait and see, bach. I really hope you like them." Her eyes were filled with hope, and he resigned himself to waiting.

…

Natalya tugged a brush through her hair and straightened her pinafore, glaring at Midori, before the smell of glorious wonderful food reached her nostrils, and she abandoned her brush to race through to the kitchen.

"Miss Lowri!" Her eyes sparkled as she beheld the golden samosas and potato salad on the plates. Pitch picked up a plate and stabbed the samosa in an uncertain manner, looking at it suspiciously. Lowri started eating her own. One was off to one side, and another was cut up.

Natalya seized one and started eating, while Pitch stared at his. It was obvious that he hadn't eaten such a thing before, something which greatly amused both women.

"It won't eat you. It's actually meant to be the other way around…" Lowri said finally, giggling through the mouthful of samosa. Pitch frowned again, turning the samosa upside down.

They laughed, and Natalya spoke up. "No, you are meant to eat the samosa." Pitch blushed darkly and swallowed the mouthful, his face burning as the women laughed at him.

Midori came into the room, followed by Elena and Bran (the latter looked rather sleepy) and rushed over to the table. "Samosas!" She snatched the last normal plate and bit into it like a cat might. Natalya smacked the back of her head.

"Watch your table manners!" Pitch nodded in agreement, and swallowed the bit of samosa, smiling a little. "This is lovely, Lowri."

She blushed happily, handing Elena and Bran their respective plates. Elena sat Bran down upon a chair and handing him a fork to eat his meal with. Pitch smiled again seeing Bran with the same confused expression that Pitch himself had worn just moments before, but Lowri swooped over.

"Here, bach. This is a samosa, they're very nice." Bran hesitantly took a bite and then devoured his food very quickly while Lowri chuckled at hi shining eyes and Natalya laughed, along with Elena. Midori leaned over and ruffled his hair.

"You really are adorable, little raven." Pitch looked down at his son who grinned up at him, samosa smeared over one bit of his cheek. Elena produced a tissue and wiped it away from his cheek even though Bran immediately squirmed away from it, while Lowri dropped a sweet little kiss on her son's head.

Midori stood up, having finished her meal, and Natalya followed her. They put their plates in the sink and thanked Lowri before Natalya left the room and Midori started to wash up their plates, muttering about cold people who didn't have a care in the world.

The irony of these statements being uttered by Midori of all people seemed to give Elena a fit of the giggles, and Bran looked up uncertainly at her.

"Li'?" he asked and she smiled down at him, taking his plate away and dropping it in the washing up while being careful enough not to chip it. Midori gave her a look but said nothing more, while Lowri and Pitch followed Elena's example, the former raising her eyebrows at Pitch laughingly.

"Shall we go and find Natalya?" asked Elena gently, her eyes finding Bran's. He nodded, taking her hand and tugging so that she was obliged to lift him up and carry him out of the room while Lowri found herself in Pitch's arms.

Midori sighed, abandoning the washing up and leaving through one of the five doors that led from the kitchen, so that they might have some privacy.

…

They found Natalya in the third library, playing what appeared to be some fast paced classical piece on a violin. Natalya nodded to the set of chairs, and Elena sat down, while Bran listened in awe to the music that flowed around the bookshelves. He wriggled around until he was comfortable on Elena's lap, so that he could listen. Natalya appeared to be glowing and she grinned.

"This, my little one, is a protection spell. It bans a few well known people such as Grim from entering this place to try and harm you." She finished and the violin glowed for a minute before cracking a little. Elena looked up, immediately concerned. Natalya just glowered as the violin trembled with the force of the spell before beckoning them out of the library.

"Master asked me to set up this spell and as many others that I could think of. I think that Bran may be under a great deal of threat, possibly more than his mother realises." She took Bran from Elena, smiling down at him.

"But don't you worry my little one. We will help you and protect you, yes?" She held him very close and he suddenly fell asleep as the tiniest pinch of golden sand appeared from nowhere and touched his forehead ever so lightly.

…

Lowri was glowing. Perhaps that was a side effect of being in love; she felt higher than the stars and just as luminous. She was heading towards the coffee bar, where she saw Melvin waiting.

"Lowri!" He waved to her, and she returned the gesture, smiling. He stared at her for a while.

"Oh my god, you're so much skinnier than when you weren't a mom. I'm sure that goes against physics or something…" He hugged her tightly and she inwardly wondered whether he might possibly mean biology seeing as the human body didn't much strike her as physics. She put her thoughts to one side and returned the hug, before he began to look around.

"Is Bran with his dad today?" he asked, and Lowri nodded. Melvin adored her little boy, and spoiled him with clothes and toys, although Lowri sometimes wondered whether this was entirely good for Bran. They both seemed happy with it though, so she might as well leave the situation alone for the moment.

Melvin tugged her hand, bringing her sharply back from her thoughts. "Hey, you want to go get a coffee and cake deal?" His eyes pleaded with her and she nodded, knowing he had a great fondness for the coffee here. She actually preferred the toffee cake, and they walked in together, linking arms like school friends.

**Please review if you have taken the time to read this. I don't own Pitch, but I do own the rest of the characters. Sandy does not belong to me, neither does MiM. Happy reading in the future! – RitS.**


	6. Chapter 6

Bran, now three, was content. His days passed in happy times and the warm love of family, and today he would be visiting someone with Father. He had brought a stuffed toy with him, small enough to fit in his pocket, and he was slightly scared to see a griffin over the forest, while his father carried him on his shoulders.

"Don't worry, that creature is the pet of my friend. We will not be attacked by it as long as she lives, and she is an immortal like myself."

Bran nodded, and Pitch chuckled as he felt small hands clutching his hair in fear. Of course, Bran trusted his father completely, but a griffin would scare a boy who had never seen one before.

As they approached the castle, Bran tugged on a lock of his father's hair. "I can walk by myself," he whispered, and Pitch nodded, crouching so Bran could climb down to the ground. The boy stared at the green castle, admiration in his eyes. Pitch mentally vowed not to let on he hated the colour of the exterior.

The doors opened almost immediately, a different butler this time. The other had perhaps been promoted, but this one was younger, with blonde hair and grey eyes. His expression was nervous, but he motioned that they should come in. The corridor had been redecorated to a deep indigo with glowing jewels strewn across it, which Bran barely had time to admire before they were shown to a turquoise room.

Deep blue curtains moved slightly in the wind, while a chess game was set up on a table made out of oak. A chest full of toys had been placed on a huge carpet embroidered with the night sky, where the stars seemed to move slowly. The butler cleared his throat.

"If you will wait, I will fetch my lady." He turned after bowing quickly, and Bran immediately raced to sit on the enchanted carpet. Pitch surveyed the chess board, and wondered if the servants were getting on with Lowri. They did seem to most of the time.

…

Elena was surprised that Lowri was taking the time to teach her how to knit. It wasn't something she would expect from the significant other of the Nightmare King, but over the past year and a half, she had learned that Lowri truly was an ordinary person and an average mother. As she had never witnessed her knitting, she had been amazed this morning when she had seen Lowri start knitting. Apparently it was a winter jumper for Bran, and Elena had been intrigued enough to take Lowri up on her offer when she said that she would teach Elena how to knit.

Currently, everything was going splendidly as the scarf she had decided to knit grew. Midori and Natalya were cleaning, having assured her that her help was not needed.

"Lowri?" she asked, and the Welsh woman turned towards her.

"Yes, Elena?" The clicking of needles filled the air as Lowri waited for her to reply. She was happy to teach the other how to knit, and she thought Elena had a good amount of talent for it. She just hoped that Pitch and Bran didn't get lost on their way to the castle.

"When did you learn to knit?" Elena asked her finally, dull blue eyes looking up at Lowri. Lowri gave her a distant smile.

"I was five, and my mother taught me how to. She loved knitting with a passion and often knitted me uncomfortable winter jumpers." Lowri chuckled as she remembered misty days where she had been secretly glad of her huge jumpers, but too proud to say that she liked it.

"That must have been nice. I only ever remember working for Lady Mibetsu, although it's nice at the castle. Here is my home now though, isn't it?"

Lowri nodded. Pitch had explained to her that the servants of Lady Mibetsu had been darker people who had had their slates wiped clean by the Lethe. Like butterflies, they would live a better life with their true spirits closer to the surfaces of their personalities.

Elena had already turned back to her knitting, working much more slowly than Lowri was.

…

When he first saw Lady Mibetsu, Bran thought she looked just like a cloud spirit must. Her daughter had hair the same colour, but much more colour in her cheeks.

She waved shyly to Bran, who waved back.

"Bran, this is Ishka," his father said, smiling. Ishka wandered over to sit next to Bran, and the adults sat down to a silent game of chess.

Bran wasn't quite sure what to say, and apparently neither was Ishka. They hesitantly started to move towards the box, while the adults watched them with a small degree of interest but didn't say anything.

….

Midori was sweeping away some cobwebs as she thought about what Bran must be going through. He hadn't ever met another child, and was rather shy around everybody. Perhaps he would learn, perhaps he would be scared. It was an interesting concept for the woman.

Elena had been rather unhappy at leaving the sweeping to Midori, it being her task after all, but Midori had assured her that she wouldn't break anything, so Elena had let her do the sweeping after all.

…

Bran and Ishka glanced at each other, while the adults were silently duelling over a potential checkmate.

Ishka spoke up first, clearing her throat nervously. "Hallo…"

Bran jumped, but nodded at her, clearing his own throat.

"Hallo… he replied and went back to building a small house out of Lego. Ishka was making a castle from red bricks with many towers and he couldn't help but feel impressed.

"Is that what you want your castle to look like?" he asked suddenly, unable to stop the question. She nodded, smiling at it rather wistfully with the cloud of white hair fluttering slightly around her face.

"I like the colour red. We have red roses growing in the garden, and I like roses."

He lit up with a smile. "I like daisies; we have some growing in the woods around where we live!" He turned his attention back to the second storey of his house and Ishka turned hers back to her red castle.

For Lady Mibetsu, this was a lovely sight. Ishka rarely spoke with anyone of her own age, but she seemed to be getting on well with Bran.

"Lord Black, anytime you wish to bring him here, you may. He is proving very good company for my daughter," she whispered quietly, and Pitch felt the corners of his mouth forming a smile at the compliment. Bran was a lovely child, he knew, but he was happy that his son should gain Lady Mibetsu's approval within such a short time as two hours.

Ishka cleared her throat. "My full name is Ishka-na-Lethe. What's yours?"

Bran stared at her for a minute. "Bran Black. Bran means raven, my mam says."

Ishka looked suitable intrigued. "What language?"

Pride flared in Bran's skinny chest. "In Welsh. My mam's Welsh, so that makes me half Welsh."

Ishka smiled at her red castle. "My name means Ishka of the Lethe in Gaelic." She seemed pretty pleased by it, and Bran frowned down at his house. Maybe the Lethe was better than being named after a bird, but he thought he might prefer a Welsh name to a Gaelic one.

Ishka noticed the frown and hesitated, before beginning to build another tower – smaller than the others, because she was running out of red bricks – and concentrating once more solely on the castle.

…

Lowri set her needles down with a niggling feeling Bran had suddenly felt some sort of unhappiness. Elena looked up at her with a slight look of concern as Lowri stared into the distance in worry.

"What's wrong?" she asked timidly, tipping her head to one side in a way that made all of the pebbles clatter together. Lowri bit her lip.

"Bran. Bran isn't happy," she confessed, and Elena's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Could her mistress sense that from this far away?

She had heard of mother's instinct, of course, but to see Lowri apparently able to know that her child was unhappy was remarkable. She studied her for a minute before setting down her own knitting.

"I can take you to Lady Mibetsu's castle, if you wish," she offered, but Lowri shook her head.

"No, I must trust Pitch on this one. He loves Bran. If Bran needs to leave, Pitch will bring him back, I'm sure of it."

She frowned even so as she picked up her knitting and Elena followed her example. She also loved Bran, of course. He was like a baby brother to her.

…

Pitch had indeed noticed that something was amiss, and stood up.

"Lady Mibetsu, we will take our leave now. Thank you for a splendid game of chess – say thank you to Lady Mibetsu, Bran."

Bran stood up and dusted off his trousers. "Thank you, Lady Mibetsu, and Ishka!"

Pitch was pleased. He'd thanked Ishka without needing any prompting. "Say goodbye, Bran!"

Lady Mibetsu waved, smiling kindly, while Ishka smiled at Bran with a hopeful look. Bran held his father's hand and smiled back.

"Da bo chi¹," he chirped, and they walked out of the room. Lady Mibetsu turned to Ishka.

"How did that go, dearest heart?" she asked, and Ishka smiled softly.

"Bran is very nice," she assured her mother, who smiled again.

…

Lowri was startled to see Bran and Pitch back so early.

"Was something wrong?" she asked, and Pitch looked to Bran, who shuffled.

"I thought her name was grander than mine, Mam," he said suddenly, and she felt relieved that that was it. However, she knew to Bran it was a major thing, and held her arms out.

"Of course it isn't. Your name's fit for a king, my boy."

He rushed up to her, hugging her and satisfied that all was well once more.

**So I hope that was alright. ¹ = goodbye in Welsh, very formal.**

**This took a while to write, which is probably a good thing. Please review, because as of yet I have no reviews for this story and it's a little disheartening.**


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